SPRING NOTES: Following taxing season, Hembree looking to make an impact

With 37 pitchers in camp, mornings at Scottsdale Stadium have included a repetitive question.

“Who is that?”

The daily stream into the clubhouse includes a slew of unfamiliar faces, and Heath Hembree isn’t making it any easier for clubhouse employees who are responsible for recognizing and helping the three-dozen pitchers. Hembree didn’t get a haircut in the four months leading up to reporting day, but on his second day in Scottsdale he showed up with a new look: A cleanly shaved head.

Once he gets on the mound, however, there’s no mistaking Hembree for anybody else. He’s likely the hardest thrower in camp, and you can hear the fastballs popping when Hembree lets it loose. He said his arm feels as good as it ever has.

Hembree is stationed in the middle of a long row of clubhouse lockers. On one side, he sees mostly minor leaguers. On the other side: Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and George Kontos. It’s an appropriate spot for a player who likely would have made his big league debut a year ago if not for an arm injury. Hembree was briefly shelved in July because of a strain in his flexor tendon.

“It was a little bit of a disappointing experience,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve ever dealt with something like that, but I think last year was good for me mentally. I had to learn to get mentally stronger.”

After a strong 2011 season, Hembree had a 4.19 ERA at two stops last season, but much of the damage was done right before he was shut down (he gave up five earned runs in his final appearance before going on the DL). After returning to the mound in August, Hembree gave up just one run in 11 outings.

Hembree is working on a slider and changeup to mix in with his explosive fastball, and he’ll get a long look this spring. Five Giants relievers are scheduled to participate in the World Baseball Classic, although Javier Lopez may pull out. Either way, Hembree will get plenty of innings this spring.

— Ryan Vogelsong extended his bullpen session on Thursday, throwing for several minutes after the other pitchers in his group had finished. Vogelsong is preparing to represent the United States in the World Baseball Classic.

“It’s going to be so vital for us to make sure these guys are ready, and that’s why his ‘pen was a little longer,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’s got to be game-ready. He feels good and looks good, and we expect him to be ready to go.”

Bochy said he spoke to Team USA manager Joe Torre on Wednesday and was told that Vogelsong would start the team’s second game.

“With all he had to go through, this is an honor for him,” Bochy said. “We’re happy for him. It’s a pretty amazing story.”

— Today is the reporting day for position players and Saturday will bring the Giants’ first full-squad workout. Angel Pagan just got here and said he’s looking forward to another season of being the Crazy Horse.

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Aside from Marco Scutaro and Joaquin Arias, all of the returning position players have already reported to camp. Oh, and there’s still no sign of Angel Villalona.

— Bochy will be featured tonight on MLB Network’s “Top 10 Right Now: Managers.” The show airs at 6 p.m. PT. Bochy was ranked sixth on the list in 2011 and first last year. Can’t imagine he did anything over the past year to lose that status.

— The line of the day Thursday came from Sergio Romo. When a minor league pitcher booted a grounder during a fielding drill, Romo yelled, “Don’t worry! We’ve got Crawford.”

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heard runzler on knbr last night…says he feels great…would like indy verification on velocity and location

no doubt in my mind that the org is gonna need hembree, runzler, bochy and at least one other, sometime during the season

Foothills Ryan

Nice early morning post Alex. Thanks!

Wish I was there. Don’t particularly want to work today. Would love to play long toss with anyone who’s willing.

————

Keith (our favorite) Law has Hembree listed as an honorable mention for top 20 prospects who will make an impact in 2013.

Footage of him popping the glove would be a blog follower’s delight.

Foothills Ryan

some fangraphs chatter:

Comment From Scout Finch
Have you seen Clayton Blackburn? I’ve heard conflicting reports on velocity. Does he sit low 90′s or his he more 88-91? Thanks.

Marc Hulet:
I have seen Blackburn pitch in games a few times on video and I’ve heard from speaking to those in the game that there is some fluctuation in his velo, which is not unusual for a young pitcher but the good news is that velo plays less into his game than command/control, changing speeds/locations, etc. Velo helps, of course, but he’s not like Crick who’s a power pitcher.

stickman

Hembree is yet another example of why a number of us posters who closely follow the Giants are not too concerned that the World Champs essentially stood pat during the offseason.

In contrast to the national writers who must pay at least some attention to 30 teams, we who live and die Giants baseball, realize that there is a plethora of internal options to be tested and assessed before SF even considers any personnel adhesions from outside the organization.

Needless to say, a flamethrower like Heath Hembree who is completely on his game would be a most welcome addition to an already formidable bullpen.

Anti-Lasorda

Does anybody else besides me think these “Todarol” injections sound an awful lot like “B12″ injections did 10 years ago.

In around 2004 we all learned what “B12″ and Flaxsed Oil really was….

Foothills Ryan

B-29 mushroom cloud laying injections. Boom!

3rdNking

Raddy with all the talk about Flemming…

he might go National..he is probably the best successor

for the NETWORKS doing basketball and football

Go Giants

Sam

@jaysonst: Melky Cabrera’s most interesting revelation: He isn’t sure #SFGiants will give him a WS ring. But he thinks he deserves one.
———–

If he feels like he should get one, which he probably does since Marty Lurie gets one, the Giants should tell him they will do the presentation on home locker room with the room full. I would bet he would refuse to accept it.

ClutchUp

In deference to THE Lefty and The Scooter-McFoothills, I’m giving THE Sabean a B+ to A- because had he gone out and got a BIG name or an additional filler name like Hairston – there would have been no guarantee that the new Big Name would have been a clutch player or even a winner.

So many Non-SF Giant-type ball players are self-stat oriented whereas the current Giant culture in all for one and one for all.
That is not easy to ‘obtain’ and then coddle, massage, nurture and develop all at one time but Bochy, Flann, Wo, Kelly, Rags, Gardy and Billy Hayes are the perfect foil for any player who doesn’t “buy in”.

There are always some ,,,, a few. Rento’s Deportes Agent felt slighted, Uribe moved on and some oft-injured guys like DeRo and his bride moved on only to be oft-injured some more. This years candidate for feeling insulted is Wilson.

Once again, Sabean WILL have a couple of one and dones like Miggy but all in all he likes continuity of sameness over another new FA addition and that morphs into his fierce love of loyalty running both ways. That doesn’t mean that Blan-Torr is the end all – be all answer to the LF sitch – but it does mean that Sabean and Bochy and Staff instill a degree in confidence in certain players (Blanco-Torres-Arias) that allows players of that ilk to perhaps play above their baseball card or treat almost every season like a career-contract-type year.

BTW… I hear Melky is chirping in Toronto Camp that “he deserves a ring”. Funny – nothing suggests that the Giants don’t plan on ‘giving’ him a WS ring. The Giants past handlings of former players: Ishi and Bowker and others (Fred Lewis = No) says that Baer had one made of the former SF Melk Man.

My own feelings were that Baer and the masses should have acted in post 2010 like they had been there before but alas they hadn’t been in 50+ years. I had issues with Renel getting a ring for announcing 81 home games. The Investors slam dunk. The everyday Giants announcers were a slam dunk but Baer gave real Rings and then facsimiles to about 350 employees

If Flemming (Born in DC) does go National then Fresno is gonna lose Doug Greenwald to the BIG Club and I’ll smile, close my eyes and get to hear Father Hank via Son Doug. I can hardly wait. Good luck Dave. Your gonna make a ton of coin when whomever offers you your next deal.

South City Jim

I thought I read something last year that said based on the league rules or the labor agreement (can’t recall which), Melky gets a ring. Don’t recall the specific criteria, but he met it.

South City Jim

I’m not saying this to in any way disparage AV, but it is possible Melky’s feeling a bit put off by the treatment he received last season after being suspended by the same org that’s inviting a “suspected” felon to camp. Not to mention that two-time cheater G. Mota was on the postseason roster. Just saying…human nature…

Sam

According to Baggs, Fred Lewis did get one for playing in April 2010

South City Jim

Regarding #11, maybe what I read was that Melky gets a postseason share…not necesarilly a ring.

Not RunItt

Don’t forget the “suspected” rapist they profit off of.

Keep’n It Real

I was a strong supporter for Melky to be re-activated for the playoffs and re-signed this off-season, BUT he needs to quit his chirping. I will assume he gets a ring, but if he doesn’t he only has himself to blame. I am all for giving people second chances, but he made his own bed in 2012 and he needs to be thankful that the Blue Jays were willing to give him an eight million dollar contract.

channelclemente

I don’t see Hembre as a ‘flame throer’. 96 is quick, but Chapman at 100+ is a lflame thrower. What Hembree has, is hop on that high fastball. You can’t time it. Kimbrel for the Braves has that same hop. Kimbrel has that hot 95 MPH 2 seam as well. It’ll be interesting to watch develop.

Sledge

The Giants were positively stingy with WS rings compared to 2004 Red Sox. Seem odd giving PA announcer ring? Maybe, but that’s just the way it is now.

As for Melky, of course he deserves a ring. As an organization, the Giants seem to err on the side of class, and it would seem rather petty & vindictive not to give him one.

But he seriously needs a decent PR guy. Or even a crappy one. Heck, I’ll do it.
“Melky, here’s the roadmap to image rehabilitation. Shut up, and hit the bejesus out of the ball this year. Go visit some kids in a hospital. Smile, be exuberant on the field. Some people will never forget- screw ‘em. Win back the rest, and the best place to do that is on the field.”

Foothills Ryan

That’s not exactly a ring you’d wear around. This is my 2012 Giants World Championship ring of which I was not part of the playoff team because I cheated during the season.

Foothills Ryan

I think the Dodgers pen has 4 guys throwing above 94 consistently.

Belisario
League
Jansen
Guerra

DBacks have 2 or 3.

Giants got themselves some Casilla who can get it up there. And hopefully some Hembree.

But location and movement is always better than pure heat.

South City Jim

Good points. I was coming from Melky’s perspective but he was involved in some sort of cover up with a fake website. Even if it was perpetrated by his handlers, not a good look. He probably should just zip it up and let his bat do the talking.

Cabrera drew hugs from his new Toronto teammates, then trotted out his own mantra to deflect questions about last year’s drug suspension. With only slight variations, Cabrera repeatedly said through a translator: ”I made a mistake. I paid the price for it. I’m looking forward to 2013.”

The reason for his reticence: a pending investigation, he said.

Cabrera signed a two-year contract worth $16 million soon after the Giants let him go.

Cabrera led the NL in hitting at .346 when he was suspended Aug. 15. He asked MLB for a rules change that disqualified him from the batting title, saying it would be a tainted achievement. He had 11 home runs, 25 doubles and 60 RBIs in 113 games.

”I don’t know if I’m going to have the numbers I had last year. I can’t predict the numbers,” he said. ”The only thing I know is that I worked out six days a week in the Dominican to be ready for this season. I’m ready.”

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, who was Cabrera’s bench coach when both were with Kansas City, said it was good to see him on the field.

”The kid can hit,” Gibbons said. ”In Kansas City, he had over 200 hits. So I’ve only seen the kid when he’s been good.”

“I wanted to face the press and the people. I knew I made a mistake. It’s in the past and I’m going to move forward.”

e-pip

Those who have commented on Villalona’s “weight” should check out SFGate picture of him in the dugout. Aside for being 6-3, about a foot taller than Pablo, he looks lean and mean.